From Fall Fresh to Homeschool Fallout

Fall homeschooling begins with bright attitudes and fresh crisp air and workbook pages. The weeks pass and the days begin to darken. Workbooks and willpower begin to wither with the leaves on the trees. The days grow shorter, but the activities and expectations increase exponentially. What eager psycho person signed us up for all this junk? Oh wait… it was me when it was 80° outside.

Fall spirals into homeschool fallout as the days begin speeding and spinning into a vortex of calendar conflicts, looming projects, holiday prep work, and head colds. The pressure that builds during the not-so-picturesque homeschool hour (or week or fortnight) is going to find its release one way or another.

Do we press on with rushed inefficiency and sarcasm, or lose our minds entirely?

Homeschool Ventilation

Of course, pressing on or losing our minds are not the only two valves of ventilation that lead us to homeschool fallout. There is also crying, cavorting, staring into the abyss, donuts, denial, and giving up entirely to hide in the closet with a sleeve of cookie dough and watch funny dog (not cat) videos. I think I may have run through this complete list of options on a few Monday mornings over the years. However, I do choose laughter as often as possible. Sarcasm mostly.

Some of my best memes are doused in flammable truth.

 

Signs of Homeschool Fallout

There is nothing hilarious about the week I’m currently having. A sick kid is never fun. He’s got a new symptom popping up every three hours. We already spent this month’s grocery money finding out all the infections he doesn’t have at a Sunday urgent care visit. No, it’s not covid. He’s much too creative for that. Now we’re placing bets on the next symptom he’ll use to get out of doing his pre-algebra.

But if you can play video games, you can balance equations. Seriously kid, if you want any semblance of a spring break this year, you’ll use the eye that isn’t weeping and swollen shut to help you find x.

Bless his heart. See? Homeschooled kids do experience bullying. (and here too)

Sigh.

On top of the UFO (unidentified festering obstruction) illness currently hovering over our homeschool, there are a multitude of other stresses this season. And thus we need to look around for the obvious signs of a homeschool fallout. Of course, there’s always a brighter side of the darker days.

Reflect upon things and be thankful:

• • A sick kid means extra worry. But no doctor’s note or shoes required for learning on the sofa.
  • Our septic system broke last week and cost a flatulent fortune. That was educational in multiple ways!
  • All major holidays and birthdays in our family happen in a 30-second window of the ironically expanding Christmas season. A time/space enigma that leaves no time to shop or spend money we don’t have.
  • Applying for universities and chasing scholarship money like a momma polar bear with twins to feed is not all the fun homeschool blogs and the Discovery channel hyped it up to be. But we are blessed to need to be on the hunt.
  • If anyone in this family loses another piece of important clothing, equipment, key, or the-will-to-carry-on in this darkening season, I’m setting aside my denim jumper and starting my own private investigation/coaching business. At least I have backup plans, options, and creativity.

“Nothing’s lost or hopeless until mom can’t find it or find a way around it.” Is that too long to fit on a business card? And what happens when mom can no longer find her way around a problem either?

When mom can no longer find that missing shoe or is struggling alongside the children to see why math is more important than moping around looking for a cookie to wash down her coffee, a break is in order.

 

Relish the Right to a Homeschooling Holiday Hiatus

The respite of Thanksgiving is upon us, and its gracious gravy pours us into Christmas and our forgiving elastic waistbands. Amen. Pass the pie.

Just as the need to do-it-all begins to overwhelm, we must remember: There’s no such need!

Relish the right to a homeschool hiatus. It’s our homeschool; our schedule. Our month-long cookie-coffee-cozy-reading-time unit study if I want it to be; our holiday homeschooling option to argue privately.

Something’s Got to Give

Even if we attempt and manage to check all the boxes (lessons full throttle, financial and health hurdles, and holiday happenings), something’s going to give. Though it may appear you’ve got everything under control (read here if you don’t) without leaving out a single ingredient of whatever you’re baking up – there’s no such thing as Perfection Pie.

I know, right? My holiday analogies are off the hook. I like pie.

You might get lucky and all that will be lost or forgotten is a little sleep and the marshmallow topping on the sweet potatoes which no one likes anyway, but likely nothing will be completed with the excellence and enjoyment we hope to achieve.

My Hifalutin Advice…

I suggest applying discernment and do only what must be done and what will be remembered fondly. Leave the rest to boring old January when even viewing annelids under a microscope is a welcome distraction from the cold and low-fat snacks.

“Time is precious. Waste it wisely.”
~Said by someone who probably skips the warm-up problems,
but will stop to take a picture of an insect molting like me.